Ever since General Hospital stars Kirsten Storms and Brandon Barash told PEOPLE they were expecting their first child together – a girl! – and that they'd secretly gotten married in June, they've been overwhelmed with the positive well wishes from fans.

Now, the couple has decided to share the story of their clandestine nuptials, as well as a photo from their magical day. Barash, a gifted raconteur, tells the story in his own words of how the couple assumed new monikers – Mom and Dad, and Husband and Wife – in the span of a week:

We had just left our first baby doctor's appointment, and were riding high. Even though our baby was more in the shape of a pancake with a heartbeat, we were quite jolly. My dad was playing in the World Series of Poker at the time, a lifelong dream, so he and my stepmom were in Vegas for the weekend.